dailyloe.com – San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is expected to win Defensive Player of the Year and finish top-five in MVP voting. This would make him the first player to achieve this since Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2020-21. Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks to a championship that season.
Wembanyama is currently day-to-day with a rib contusion in the regular season’s final week. He needs to return for one more game to qualify for the NBA’s 65-game rule. The Spurs have a 61-19 record and have won 29 of their last 32 games.
The team rates top-five on both offense and defense. They own a +8.5 net rating. This qualifies them as a great team.
Historically, finishing top-five in both awards is rare for great teams. On 30 occasions since 1982-83, 15 different players have done it for a team winning 70% of its games. Half of those players, 15 times, went on to win the championship that same season.
The player never lost in the first round of the playoffs. They reached the conference finals 25 out of 30 times. They made the NBA Finals 60% of the time, or 18 of 30 opportunities.
Players like Paul George and Sidney Moncrief also finished top-five in both awards. Their teams won only 40-something games and failed to escape early playoff rounds. Neither of their teams ever reached an NBA Finals.
Recent examples include Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2019-20. He finished fourth in MVP and fifth in DPOY voting. His 56-17 Bucks team lost in the second round.
LeBron James achieved the feat multiple times. In 2012-13, he was first in MVP and second in DPOY voting. His 66-16 Miami Heat team won the NBA championship.
Kawhi Leonard did it in 2016-17. He finished third in both MVP and DPOY voting. His 61-21 San Antonio Spurs reached the Western Conference Finals.
For Wembanyama and the current Spurs, historical data suggests a coin flip for winning the title this season. The long-term outlook for him winning a championship appears practically certain based on this precedent.[]
Source: Yahoo Sports
